


Defective

by EthanTheAnnus



Series: they're homiesexual,,, the socks r coming off,,, [4]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: (in a later chapter), Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Angst, Author Hurts His Favourites, Character Death, Cyberpunk, Cyberpunk AU, Cyborg Dream, Dystopian, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Plot, Slow Burn, The Author Regrets Nothing, kind of, no beta we die like george in manhunt, plot heavy, to some extent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26930401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EthanTheAnnus/pseuds/EthanTheAnnus
Summary: Rain pattered down across his mask, a gentle sound of water droplets hitting metal, as the cyborg surveyed the city around him, bright with lights and alive with technology. At a glance, the lone figure might look normal; just a young man in a green hoodie with a metal mask covering his face, decorated with a simple black smile and two dots for eyes, but up close you could see that his skin sat slightly wrong, stretched over gears and wires.-OR-A cyberpunk au of sortsCompleted.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: they're homiesexual,,, the socks r coming off,,, [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959235
Comments: 21
Kudos: 264





	1. i

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all are in for a RIDE 
> 
> I wrote this entire thing in like two days because I wrote 1k then did sprints for like four hours in the Dream Team Safespace server and wrote the entire rest of it
> 
> EDIT: I drew the opening scene :) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGM0ZgAsN5C/

Rain pattered down across his mask, a gentle sound of water droplets hitting metal, as the cyborg surveyed the city around him, bright with lights and alive with technology. At a glance, the lone figure might look normal; just a young man in a green hoodie with a metal mask covering his face, decorated with a simple black smile and two dots for eyes, but up close you could see that his skin sat slightly wrong, stretched over gears and wires.

Another telltale sign was that he was standing stock still atop the edge of a very, very high building, in the way only a Future would. His gaze flickered over the streets below, taking everything in from behind his mask, filing away data upon data. On the back of the hoodie he wore was a large grey ‘M’, marking him as one of the Metals.

The Metals were an elite police force, feared by pretty much everyone in the city, and on the entire planet for that matter. An entire force made up of the most elite Futures, or those with some degree of cybernetic enhancement, was something no one was eager to cross.

The cyborg in question was the most advanced of the unit, a human brain in a completely synthetic body; a truly deadly combo. D-1-3-A-M, or Dream, was his name, the one he’d been assigned upon being initiated into the Metals. His gaze scanned over the view before him one final time before he stepped forwards, dropping like a pin off the edge of the building. 

He landed in a crouch with a loud clunk and a splash of water, and he immediately looked around, scanning for danger. Spotting nothing, Dream reached up and tapped the side of his mask twice, the sound of metal hitting metal echoing dully through the street. Swiftly, the nanotech in his mask peeled back, revealing the cyborg’s face.

He was handsome, in a way that seemed almost too superficial, with bright green eyes and dirty blonde hair and a jawline so perfect you could be sure others stared at him with jealousy. Dream turned and swiftly walked down the street he was on, eyes constantly flicking around him, his guard not letting down for a second. 

Turning into a small apartment block, he finally seemed to relax, shoulders dropping into a more comfortable position as he fumbled to open a biocomponent on his leg. Finally, it opened with a small pop; triumphantly, Dream pulled out his keys and unlocked the door.

Dream’s apartment was small, and it always smelled and looked like a hospital, sanitary and tidy and white. He placed his keys into a tiny white dish on the counter and picked up an apple, absentmindedly tossing it up and catching it in his hand, over and over, as he made his way over to what barely qualified as a couch.

He sat down, staring at the black screen integrated into his wall, the apple in a loose grip in his hand. Dream watched as the screen recognised his vision trained on it, watched it power up, and lifted the apple, biting into it with precise, metallic teeth. The screen whirred to life in a matter of seconds, and he lazily lifted a hand, signalling the start of a documentary on non-cybernetic animals, and those that used to exist.

Dream sunk back into the hard, almost completely solid stiffness of his couch as he ate, and not for the first time in his life, wondered if the world was a better place when real, living elephants still existed.

*******

Dream didn’t have to sleep for more than a few hours a day. His body was metal and wire and oil and motor fluids, so he didn’t need to rest more than the very human brain inside of his metal skull. The same went for foods; a simple single meal a day was usually all he needed to get enough nutrients to keep his brain working. 

So it was that by sunrise, a mere four hours after his patrol had ended, Dream was awake again and leaving his apartment. He’d promised to meet up with his best friend today; the only friend he’d managed to keep in contact with after he’d become the way he was. It had been unexpected; the governing classes in the city were powerful, and if they said you had to go, you went.

It was how Dream had become the way he was, a cyborg of the finest kind. He’d simply been taken away one day, and a year later he was back, looking like this. Something in Dream knew they’d changed more than just his body, though; he couldn’t remember the name he’d had before this one, and he was sure he was missing memories from his childhood.

It didn’t bother him that much, though. What bothered him more was that he’d lost all of the friends he had, save for one; George. For whatever reason, George had stuck with him, had kept him company from the moment he got back, had joked and laughed and hadn’t left him, hadn’t moved on like his other friends had.

Dream had more friends than just George now; he was proud to say over the year and a bit of settling back into as normal a life as a Metal could get, he had made two more friends, by the names of Sapnap and Bad. The four of them got along like a house on fire, and sometimes Dream could barely imagine life without them.

By the time Dream made it to the city centre, a big square of stores and bright holographic advertisements, it was 7 am. Dream wasn’t wearing his usual green hoodie today; the Metal insignia on the back didn’t do well in public places, so he was in a simple black hoodie with a small white smiley on the chest, akin to the design on his mask.

Shielding his eyes from the bright morning sun, Dream looked around the square, streets and cafe tables still damp from the downpour the evening prior. He spotted George at a small coffee truck, ordering whatever dirty bean drink he wanted for the day, and began to make his way over. 

George turned with his drink in hand, entire face lighting up with a stupid grin the second he spotted Dream. The Future found himself smiling too, speeding up his pace as he walked over to meet his friend.

“Dream! How was your shift last night?”

Dream shrugged. “Nothing different than usual; empy streets save for other Futures.”

George made a face. “I hate the name ‘Futures’. Sounds stupid.”

“Yes, you’ve told me nearly every day for the past year.” 

“I  _ know  _ they got the name from cybernetic enhancements being the ‘People of the Future’ but-”

Dream groaned. “Please don’t go on this tangent  _ again _ .”

“Fine.” George took a sip of his coffee with fake annoyance, and Dream nearly laughed. 

“Got many clients today?”

“Just two. Shouldn’t be a hard day of work.” 

George worked as a computer repairman, fixing tech that others didn’t know how to, and he was one of the best at it. Sometimes, Dream would think about George, and the life he lived as a non-Future, and wondered if that life would be nicer, calmer, than Dream’s own. It would surely be less stressful, of that Dream was certain.

“You might get some walk-ins, though,” Dream reminded him as the two began to walk across the square. George took another sip of his coffee, then shook his head.

“People like to book the second something goes wrong. Walk-ins are so rare that they’re practically extinct.”

“Too much talking about work.” Dream put his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “What about that game you were raving about? Surely it finished downloading by now?”

George’s whole face lit up with excitement. “It’s an old world game,” he said, voice lowering a little so the people around them wouldn’t hear. “Something called  _ Minecraft.  _ It was super hard to get my hands on, I won’t lie, but God, it’s so fucking  _ cool _ .”

Dream arched a single, perfect eyebrow, the gears under his skin shifting to allow the movement. “Sounds like you’re excited about it.”

“I played for  _ hours,  _ Dream. You gather resources and try to survive and everything is made of  _ blocks _ !!!”

Dream let out a small laugh, pulling a hand out of his pocket to reach over and ruffle George’s hair fondly. “Alright, you big nerd.”

“Shut up,” George said with a smile, pushing Dream’s hand away. “Let me have my moment.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Dream nudged George’s shoulder in a teasing way. “Okay, but really, it’s nice to see you’ve got something to be excited about that isn’t work.”

“Hey, my work is exciting!”

“To you, maybe,” Dream responded with snort. “Not to me.”

“Yeah, cause you’re a fucking Metal. Everything you do is more exciting than any other job on this godforsaken planet.” George took another sip of his coffee. 

“I wouldn’t call being a Metal  _ exciting,  _ George. More like… Fearing attack at any moment for all of the time you’re on duty.”

“That’s exciting!” George then gasped, pointing down one of the streets that led off the square. “Hey, the games store is open today!”

Dream rolled his eyes. “Like it is every other day.”

“Shut up and come look at some games with me.”

“Like I’m going to listen to a man who needs dirty bean water to function.”

“Hey! At least I’m not made of fucking metal!”

Dream let out a laugh. “Alright, fine, let’s go to your stupid games store.”

*******

Getting ready for his shifts was a routine Dream had easily fallen into the day he was first inducted as Metal; he’d pull on the green hoodie, the clothing item he had personally chosen to be his uniform of sorts, and would place the small round holder of his nanotech mask to his temple before tapping it twice to engage the mask. He’d step out of his house, lock the door, and store his keys securely in his leg compartment.

Then, he’d start patrol. Dream had only seen the other Metals a few times; his initiation ceremony, and the two times members of his patrol had been given special awards. It didn’t bother him that he didn’t really know any of the other members, didn’t know their names or faces, because Dream knew his job and knew how to do it well.

The inside of his faceplate lit up as his screens loaded in, text upon text explaining his patrol route for the day, giving him his orders. Dream barely gave it a second glance, taking his time to scale up to the top of one of the taller buildings in the city to get a good vantage point first.

His gaze flicked to the text in the side of his view, taking a mental note of the route he had, of the things he’d been instructed to do for tonight’s shift. Dream began to walk along the building’s edge, then sprung effortlessly from the edge to land with a clunk atop the next building over. It never really occurred to him how loud him landing was, and whether it disturbed anyone living in the area; his focus was on his missions for the night, and no one dared to appose a Metal anyway.

Gaze flicking around, taking in his surroundings over and over and over again, filing away the data for future reference, Dream continued his way down that street, leaping from building to building with ease. He glanced for a second time at the address he was told to go to, at the names of the other Metals who would be there too; C-4-S-K, or Cask, and P-3-0-N, or Peon. Dream couldn’t recall if he’d ever met them before.

It took him a few minutes to reach the address, and he was the first to arrive of the three Metals. He stayed crouched upon the roof, waiting, and soon Cask showed up; a fancy, tall Metal with a pure black mask, wearing a full suit. Dream bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing at the sight, his brain already coming up with so many ways that Cask could be taken down purely because he chose to wear a suit instead of something more practical.

Peon showed up a minute later, a shorter, female Metal with a mask the colour of squid ink and a skin-tight full body suit that Dream had to admit was one of the more practical things he’d seen in a long time. The three locked gazes across the building, a silent confirmation that they were all there.

“D-1-3-A-M, P-3-0-N, follow my orders.” Cask’s voice was full of authority, and Dream silently checked his instructions to find that Cask was, in fact, this mission’s leader. “Descend silently.”

Dream hated silent descents, hated having to cling to the slick, shiny surfaces of the modern buildings, much preferring to simply step off the edge and drop, but doing that during a stealth mission could get him terminated, permanently. So he grit his teeth and climbed down the building’s side, cursing under his breath everytime he slipped.

Eventually, the three of them made it to the ground. Dream sized up the building; it was the residence of one of the upper class, not an apartment block, meaning the entire, multilevel skyscraper was in fact home to a single family. Something about the place made Dream’s hands twitch, and every fibre of his being told him to turn around, to leave, but he knew his duty.

“Permission to pick the door, C-4-S-K?” Peon’s voice was petite and tinny, and Dream instantly wished to never hear it again, hating the way it sounded in his ears.

“Permission granted, P-3-0-N.”

The small female Metal stepped forward, pressing her palm to the door’s lock; in mere seconds there was a soft click, and with a gentle push of her hand, the door swung open. Dream and Cask followed behind as Peon stepped delicately inside.

The place looked like ever other upper class house Dream had ever had the pleasure of being inside; tidy to the point of madness, with expensive art and tech everywhere you looked. The amount of money these people clearly had to just throw at whatever they wanted left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Commencing scan for heat signatures.” Cask’s voice was low as he spoke. “Three heat signatures; two on level five, one on level seven.”

“Traces of oil on the counter,” Dream reported, speaking for the first time that night. “Looks like they aided some Defectives.”

The three Metals quietly advanced forwards, making their way up the staircase and to the second level of the house, then to the third, then the fourth, and finally they emerged onto the fifth. Cask directed them down a hall, indicating the two rooms where the heat signatures had come from.

“D-1-3-A-M, sending you the location of the heat signature on level seven.”

Dream waited for a few seconds before the directions popped up where his mission information had been moments before. “Recieved.”

Dream then turned back to the stairwell, making his way up two more flights before emerging onto the floor. He looked around, scanning for threats, and finding none, he pushed forward. He came to a stop outside the room Cask’s directions had led him to, and softly placed his hand on the doorknob.

“Target one eliminated.” That was Peon’s voice through their comms.

“Target two eliminated,” Cask said moments after.

Dream took a breath and slowly opened the door. Inside, he saw a single bed and dozens upon dozens of the latest, most high-tech toys neatly put in their proper places. He turned his gaze to the person sleeping in the room; a child, no more than ten. 

Dream’s breath caught in his throat. He had to kill a  _ child _ ? He tried to think of something, anything a kid could have done to have helped their parents in aiding Defectives, but his mind drew a blank.

He realised he was shaking. He took a half step back, doubt plaguing his mind. Could he go through with this?

“D-1-3-A-M, status.”

“Room infiltrated,” Dream managed to respond, knowing that Cask and Peon would surely be making their way up any second. “Target in sight.”

“Recieved. Commence with termination.”

Dream froze, then, as it truly sunk in. He couldn’t have moved if he tried, was only able to stand there as he heard Cask and Peon quietly ascending the stairs just down the hall. Trembling, he tried to raise a hand, to do anything, but found he couldn’t.

Cask and Peon arrived at the end of the hall. They were making their way down, silently stalking, and still Dream couldn’t move. Then Cask stepped in to the room, strode past Dream, and with an effortless motion, snapped the child’s neck.

Then, slowly, Cask’s gaze turned to Dream. Dream couldn’t breathe, couldn’t try to explain himself. Finally, Cask spoke.

“D-1-3-A-M has Defected.”


	2. ii

Dream was running, sprinting faster than he had in his entire life. His usual effortless grace was gone, gears and wires churning as he worked overtime to move as fast as possible. Going full-pelt through a dense city full of lights and screens and distractions at every turn wasn’t the most practical, but it was all he could do. 

He ran and ran and ran like his life depended on it, because it did. He couldn’t stop to breathe, couldn’t stop to think could only keep running, even when the sounds of Cask and Peon pursuing him long faded behind him. There was only one place he could go, only one place he could think of, but he couldn’t let there be a chance that he led any of the Metals there, not yet.

Dream didn’t even think he could go there at the current time, sure that it would be the first place the Metals would have turned. So he continued to run, continued to hide in the shadows and keep out of sight, until night turned to sunrise. That was when he started to make his way back, through city streets and across rooftops until finally he was knocking on the back door of the house belonging to George.

When George finally answered, his eyes widened, and he reached out, grabbing Dream’s arm and dragging him inside as quickly as possible. He shut and locked the door, then began frantically closing curtains and blinds, blocking out the outside world. Dream tapped the side of his mask twice, deactivating it, and taking the chance to breathe.

“I Defected,” Dream managed after a few moments. George didn’t even turn to look at him, continuing to close things up.

“I know.”

“The Metals-”

“Came here,” George interrupted, finally turning to face Dream. “They interrogated me for hours, checked every inch of the house in case you were here. I was absolutely  _ terrified,  _ Dream. What in God’s name possessed you to make you Defect?”

Dream closed his eyes, swallowing harshly, and his voice was broken when he spoke. “They wanted me to kill a child.”

“They  _ what _ ?”

“On tonight’s patrol I… Two others Metals and I were tasked with an infiltration mission, to terminate some upper class folks who were helping Defectives. I was sent up to a higher level while the other two eliminated the parents, and I found a kid up there, no older than ten, George.”

George took in a sharp, audible breath, collapsing onto his couch and dropping his head into his hands. “They wanted you to kill this kid?”

Dream just nodded. “I couldn’t do it, George. They were only a kid.”

“We have to leave. Nebulous- I’m sure you’ve heard rumours of it- we have to go there. Now.”

“Wait,  _ we _ ?” Dream took a step closer to George. “You have a life here, a job that you love. You can’t-”

“Dream, they know I was friends with you. Even if you get away, they’ll search for you for a long time. You were a Metal, for god’s sake, and one of the top ones. They’ll search every inch of my house, they’ll find the stuff I did that wasn’t completely legal, and I’ll never see the light of day again.”

“They’ll find your stupid games, you mean?”

“My  _ old world  _ games,” George reached out, grabbing Dream’s hands with his own in a vice like grip. “You  _ know  _ old world games are illegal.”

Dream exhaled. “You have a point. What about Sapnap and Bad?”

George paled somewhat. “Oh fuck. Dream, I- We have to go warn them.”

“Warn them?” Dream’s head was spinning. “What do you mean? Sure, the Metals will search them but-”

“Dream, you don’t understand. Sapnap and Bad help Defectives get to Nebulous.”

*******

George took about ten minutes collecting the stuff he considered essential. In that time, Dream set his keys down on the counter, knowing he’d never need them again, and traded out his hoodie for one of George’s in a similar colour. George then spent fifteen minutes disconnecting Dream’s mask from the Metal interface, completely severing every connection, just in case there was a way they could track him using it.

Dream couldn’t believe he’d never receive another mission from it. All it would do now is shield his face from attack; helpful as hell, but something about it not having any other uses made him kind of sad. George then led Dream back through his house to his back door, and the two cautiously crept out. 

The place Sapnap and Bad lived together in was a few streets over; they’d been roommates for a few years now, the two of them not making enough to each afford their own houses. Dream had been lucky, since as a Metal he had been given free accommodation, and George made enough as a computer repairmen to afford his own place, but the cruel reality was that too many people could barely afford homes in this city.

They made it to Sapnap and Bad’s in one piece, and were quickly ushered inside the second they arrived. From the looks on their faces, Dream knew that Sapnap and Bad already knew that he’d Defected.

“We can get you on a ship straight to Nebulous tomorrow at sunrise,” Sapnap said almost immediately. 

“What about you two?” George asked, worry evident in his tone. “The Metals will surely come to search here.”

“Already did,” Bad responded with a wry smile. “They don’t seem to think we’d have anything useful. Don’t worry, George. We know how to watch our own backs.”

George seemed to relax at this. “I’m gonna miss you guys.”

Sapnap let out a small laugh. “We’re gonna miss you too. Not sure about the cyborg, though.”

All four of them managed a laugh at this, and the tension in the air seemed to lift for just a moment, leaving Dream feeling more optimistic than he had since Defecting hours earlier.

******

The room George and Dream had to stay in for the night was tiny and cramped, a small, hidden room just off of Sapnap and Bad’s basement with a single bed and a small sink and not much else. Dream had told George to take the bed, knowing that as a non-Future he’d need sleep far more than Dream did. 

“Dream?” George’s voice was soft and kind of echoed in the dark room.

“I thought you were going to sleep,” Dream replied.

“Do you ever wonder what the world used to be like?” George asked, ignoring Dream.

“Sometimes,” he admitted.

“I like to imagine the old world was kinder. No Metals, no tech everywhere, just… People, helping each other and existing.”

Dream snorted. “You’re forgetting our history classes. Wars broke out all across the world before the tech age fully set in. We’re much better off now.”

“Are we? Back then, people fought for their beliefs. Now, if you step out of line once… If you Defect…”

“People are safer.”

“Whatever you say, Dream.” George yawned loudly, then rolled over in the bed. A few moments later, his breathing told Dream that he was asleep.

“Whatever I say,” he muttered under his breath, for the first time truly questioning if his views of the world were right.

******

“George. Dream.” 

Dream turned his head towards Sapnap’s quiet voice, barely able to see in the dark light despite the enhanced eyesight of his cybernetic parts. From beside him, George stirred sleepily.

“Wh?”

“We have to go. Bad got word that the Metals are coming back. It isn’t safe here.”

Dream sharply inhales. “Where are we going to go?”

There’s a pause before Sapnap speaks again. “We don’t know.”

Dream and George manage to gather up the small amount of things that they have, and Dream can feel the fear radiating off of George as they follow Sapnap back into the main part of the house. Bad is standing anxiously in the kitchen, fidgeting as he stands still, and that’s when Dream knows they’re seriously fucked.

“They’re gonna be here any minute. We have to go and  _ fast _ .” Bad’s words come out hurried, and it’s clear he’s panicking. 

“Seems we’ll be joining you,” Sapnap said with a lopsided grin that doesn’t meet his eyes. “Out the back way. We can go through the alleys.”

The four hasten to get out of the house, Bad locking the door behind them as they leave.

“That should slow them down a bit,” he mumbles, and Dream thinks of how efficiently Peon picked the lock of the house the other night.

“Not by much.”

Sapnap leads them out into the alleyways, a maze of tiny streets that loop back in on themselves. You could lose yourself in them if you didn’t know your way around, but Sapnap led them confidently, and soon they found themselves out on a busy street. From there, they ducked into another set of alleyways, this time Bad taking the lead.

They soon reached a fence, high enough that they couldn’t scale it without suspicion, and Sapnap pointed to a broken board. There was a hole barely big enough for them all to squeeze through, and when it came to Dream’s turn, he knocked one of his components hard enough that he knew it was damaged.

When George asked him about it, Dream grit his teeth and said it was fine. It wasn’t. They made it another two blocks before it was evident that his broken component was a problem, and Bad immediately turned and led them down a different alley.

“We won’t be able to catch the ship,” he said. “But I know where we can get you fixed.”

“We need to get on that ship!” George’s voice was high with anxiety.

“Getting Dream’s component fixed is more important right now. He can’t travel anywhere if the damage gets much worse. It isn’t far.”

Dream’s noticeably limping now as Bad leads them through the alleys and backstreets. Sapnap moves to help support him as he walks, and though he appreciates it, Dream grits his teeth and tries to look annoyed about the help; he doesn’t want to seem weak.

George keeps casting worried glances at the cyborg, and finally,  _ finally  _ Bad leads them out of the alleys and onto a main street. Dream can see he’s taking them to a mechanics, a place simply called Technoblade Repairs, a pretty fancy looking place for a mechanics shop.

They shuffle inside, and Dream almost immediately leans against a wall. He’s not in pain, the way he was built meaning things like his components malfunctioning only being able to cause him pain for a minute or so, but he knows he can’t support his weight anymore.

Bad goes up to the counter, presses the bell to call for service. A young boy, probably no more than 16, with dull orange-brown hair and bright blue eyes appears behind the desk, greeting Bad with an enthusiastic smile, but his face shifts to a more serious expression upon spotting Dream.

“Oh jesus,” he says, loud enough for all four of them to hear, before he turns to shout, “Tubbo! We’ve got another one!”

Another boy, looking about the same age, with dark brown hair and blue eyes comes into view, immediately coming out from behind the counter and making a beeline for Dream. He immediately drops onto his knees to examine the damaged component on Dream’s leg, pulling back the synthetic skin and wincing upon seeing the damage.

“It’s pretty bad, Tommy,” he calls across to the other boy, who comes over to take a look for himself. Like Tubbo, he winces, looking almost sympathetic.

“It might take us a couple hours to fix,” he says, turning to Dream’s three companions. “But we gotta move him first. He can’t be seen; god knows the stinking Metals will be on us in minutes if we keep a Defective out in the middle of the shop.”

“You know he’s a Defective?” George asks at the same time Dream angrily says, “Hey! I used to be a Metal you bitch.”

“Doesn’t take much to guess,” Tommy replies, completely ignoring Dream. “More than one person accompanying him here? Not really a normal thing to do. Besides, we get a lot of Defectives in here.”

He and Tubbo move to prop Dream up from either side, supporting his weight and leading him across the shop floor. The other three follow as they’re led into a back room, small and hidden almost entirely from view.

They set Dream into a device clearly made to support injured Futures, then Tubbo immediately sets about getting tools. Tommy turns back to the door.

“I’ll keep an eye on the shop for an hour or so, then we can swap around,” he said, and then he was gone. Tubbo turned back to Dream, armed with multiple different tools and spare parts and gave a small grin to his friends.

“We’ll have him fixed up in no time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hell yeah, two chapters down, two chapters to go!!!


	3. iii

In the three hours it takes for Tubbo and Tommy to repair Dream, they talk. A lot. Apparently, this shop is owned by one of the upper class, a man known only as Technoblade, but Tommy and Tubbo man the shop most of the time, and have seen him in person only a handful of times.

Dream is the fiftieth Defective they’ve helped just this year. George eagerly watches everything they do, and expresses how he wished he could have become a mechanic; at one point Tommy points out he could probably become a mechanic up on Nebulous if he was willing to learn.

Tubbo tells them more about Nebulous, how it’s a planet just outside of the milky way, where the laws and the Metals don’t reach. A safe place for Defectives to live. Dream hopes they can manage to make it there.

Finally they manage to fix Dream completely, getting him to walk around the small room to check that the component works. Then Tommy hands them a small slip of paper; written on it is a single address.

“Don’t let anyone lay eyes on that save for you four,” Tommy warns. “That’s where Wilbur is. He’ll be able to help you.”

“Thank you,” Dream says. “For everything.”

“No need to thank us. Just don’t get yourself terminated.”

They all leave the shop feeling more confident now that they have a goal in mind. It’s daytime now, almost noon, so the Metals aren’t out patrolling the streets, which takes one stress off their minds. Sapnap takes the lead this time, and they navigate through the back alleys towards the street where Wilbur apparently lived.

“I’m so scared,” George admits to Dream as they walk, trailing a little behind Bad and Sapnap. “We don’t even know this guy that we’ve been sent to. What if he just turns us in?”

“We worry about that if it happens,” Dream says, hoping he sounds braver than he feels. “It’ll be fine. I doubt Tommy and Tubbo would have sent us here if we were just going to end up terminated.”

“I hope you’re right,” George replied, fear evident in his tone. Something in Dream breaks a little at this, and he immediately tries to take George’s mind off the situation at hand.

“Do you think Nebulous will have your stupid video games? I’m praying it doesn’t, I don’t need to listen to you nerding out again.”

George snorts, giving Dream a fond smile. “You love it when I nerd out, don’t lie.”

Dream’s robotic heart skips a beat. “You sound stupid when you nerd out.”

“I bet Nebulous has all the old world games I could dream of,” George says tauntingly, and Dream immediately pulls him into a headlock. George just laughs, pushing against Dream to try and get away.

“Dream! Let me go!”

They break apart in a fit of giggles, and for a moment, everything feels a little brighter.

*****

Wilbur’s house is small. Dream didn’t know what he expected, but he really didn’t expect this. It was smaller than George’s, as far as Dream could tell from looking at it from the outside, and since the mechanics had clearly been upper class, he didn’t expect to end up at such a small place.

Bad seemed hesitant before knocking, and the door opens almost immediately, revealing a Future with soft, curly brown hair and a smile that made him seem instantly trustworthy. His gaze roamed over the four of them, and upon spotting Dream, he quickly motioned for them to come inside.

“Are you Wilbur?” Sapnap’s voice was quiet. The Future nodded, and Sapnap quickly continued with, “Tommy and Tubbo told us to come here.”

“Of course they did,” Wilbur said, in a way that made him sound exhausted. “Thankfully I haven’t had Defectives in a while. I’m in a good spot to help you out.”

“Thank you,” Bad says quietly. 

“I can get you to Nebulous,” Wilbur continues. “You’ll be able to leave tomorrow. I just have to refuel the ship.”

All four of them exchange a glance. What lower class citizen ever has access to a ship?

“You have a ship?” Dream asks suddenly, unable to bear the tension. Wilbur turns to him with a smile.

“I have several, actually. My house might be small, but I like to spend my money on more worthwhile things. Like helping Defectives.”

The four let Wilbur lead them to a back room of the house. There’s mattresses on the floor, enough for twelve or so people to sleep there, and George, Sapnap and Bad set down what little stuff they have with them.

“I’ll get you some food,” Wilbur said, before leaving the four alone.

“We’ll be going to Nebulous by tomorrow,” Sapnap said, sounding like he can barely believe it. 

“I know,” Bad responded, equally as breathless.

“It’s weird,” George said, staring down at his lap. “I mean, we won’t be on earth anymore. How different do you think it will be up there?”

“I think there might be more tech up there than there is here,” Dream said. “Think about it; if there’s that many Futures up there…”

“There’s probably less laws. Hopefully no class system.” Sapnap sounds hopeful, and it makes Dream hopeful, too.

“I hope they have muffins there,” Bad whispered innocently, and it sent the other three into hysterics.

“I’m sure they’ll have muffins there, Bad,” George managed after a minute, which just made Dream and Sapnap laugh more. 

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” Wilbur was standing in the doorway with a plate of assorted food.

“Not at all,” Sapnap replied, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. Wilbur handed the plate to George, and smiled at the four of them.

“It’s nice to see not everyone who comes to me is sad and serious all the time.”

“Sad and serious is boring,” Dream responded almost instantly. “Who wants to be sad and serious when you can be hilarious like me?”

“ _ You’re  _ hilarious?” George gave Dream an incredulous look. “All you do is bully me for liking old world games!”

Wilbur was still smiling. “Too many Defectives show up terrified or traumatised, or both. It’s good to see some semi-functioning people.”

“I’m still waiting for the trauma to set in,” Dream offered. “I only Defected two days ago, so I think I’m still in shock.”

“Better to be in shock than traumatised,” Wilbur said seriously. “I’d better go get the ship refuelled. As long as you all don’t go yelling to the rooftops, you should be safe here.”

“Thank you,” George said, and the Future just smiled.

“It’s no problem.”

******

The day and night passed quickly, and before they all knew it, Wilbur was leading them out the back of his house, to where the ship was kept. Dream found himself staring up at it, wide-eyed; he’d never stood this close to an actual spaceship before.

Dream, Sapnap and Bad wandered around admiring the ship while Wilbur told George how to start it up, how to prepare it to take off. The ship was shiny, new, and the best thing money could buy. Dream almost felt guilty about the fact that he and his friends would be flying away in it, if it weren’t for the fact that Wilbur had very explicitly said he wanted to give it to them, and wanted to help.

Finally, it was time to board; they all said their goodbyes to Wilbur, thanking him profusely, and Bad even stepped forward to give the Future a hug. It was just as they were about to walk up into the ship when things went to hell.

There was a loud clunk as a Future dropped into Wilbur’s yard; a Future with a facemask. Dream felt his mechanical stomach drop, staring at the Metal. Then a second descended, then a third, then a fourth, until eight Metals stood in Wilbur’s yard, staring and standing still.

“Go.” Wilbur’s voice was low. “I’ll hold them off, buy you some time to shut the door. They won’t get through the armoured plating.”

“Wait-” Dream started, but Wilbur had already charged at the Metals, leaping to kick one in the chest with a loud metallic clang. 

“Come on!” Sapnap had grabbed Dream by the arm, trying to drag him up into the ship. Coming to his senses, Dream turned and ran, following the others into the ship. With a flick of a switch, George had the ship door starting to close, agonisingly slowly.

One of the Metals noticed this, taking off running towards the ship, but Wilbur was there, kicking them aside with cutthroat efficiency. Dream realised amongst the Metals were Cask and Peon; he watched as Wilbur threw a well-aimed punch to the side of Peon’s neck, and she went down with a sickening crack. She didn’t get back up again.

“D-1-3-A-M, you are under arrest for Defecting.” That was Cask, his voice loud and piercing. The door was half closed now, but Dream wouldn’t feel safe until it was fully closed.

It slowly inched closer and closer to closing; none of those in the ship could speak, all watching the chaos below, save for George, who was firing up the engines as quickly as he could.

Dream watched as three Metals surrounded Wilbur; he looked wild, like a rabid animal, and as he launched himself at one Metal, another raised a knife. Dream wanted to scream, wanted to warn Wilbur, but his vocal chords seemed to freeze up.

Dream could only watch as the knife was driven through Wilbur’s body, could only listen as the kind Future who’d helped them escape screamed out in pain. The ship door shut with a loud clang.

“Ok, initiating the takeoff sequence! Everyone sit down!” George’s voice was what anchored Dream, got him moving to sit down and buckle in as George flipped the final switches. 

Seconds later, they were hurtling into space, leaving the world they all knew behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter left, y'all!!! it's been a blast posting these... also funny story, it's my birthday next friday, so when i post the final chapter, i'll officially be 17 :)


	4. iv

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops, completely forgot to post the final chapter yesterday; but here it is now! hope you all enjoy :D

Dream sat alone in one of the tiny ship’s quarters, feeling numb. He couldn’t shake what he’d seen, couldn’t stop Wilbur’s cry ringing in his ears. Wilbur had just been a man, trying to do what was right, a man with dreams and goals and ambitions, and the Metals had just killed him.

They’d murdered him for simply housing Dream and his friends, and Dream wasn’t sure he’d ever shake off the guilt. If he’d just done his mission, if he’d never Defected, they’d all be living their lives as normal. He’d have headed home from patrol, maybe had George message him rambling about some old world game.

Dream would meet up with his friends, and they’d laugh and joke, and then Dream would patrol that night, like always. Except Sapnap and Bad might have been terminated for helping Defectives escape.

Dream couldn’t imagine if his mission had been to terminate them. He would have still Defected, would have had to run, but it would have been without them. Maybe this was better, in the long run; but he still felt awful about Wilbur’s death.

There was a soft whooshing sound as his door opened. Looking up, Dream saw George standing in the doorway.

“Can I… talk to you for a bit?”

Dream nodded. “Yeah.”

George came into the room, sitting next to Dream with a sigh. “We made it.”

“Yeah. Yeah, we did. God, we’re gonna be on Nebulous in two days.”

“Yeah.” George sounded exhausted. “I’m just… scared. Not for us, but for Tommy and Tubbo. What if something’s happened to them?”

“How could the Metals trace it back to them, though?” Dream turned to fully face George. “They’ll be fine, I know it.”

“But what if they’re not?” George’s lower lip was starting to shake, and Dream could see his eyes tearing up. “What if the Metals found them? What if they’re terminated?”

_ Like Wilbur _ , went unsaid. George broke, sitting there sobbing, and Dream wordlessly reached out, pulling him into a tight hug. He didn’t know how long they sat there, George crying into Dream’s shoulder as Dream desperately tried not to let himself break, either.

Finally, George managed to calm down, pulling back to give Dream a smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “Thanks. I-I’m sorry about that…”

“No, it’s okay.” 

Something seemed to hang in the air between them, tension that Dream couldn’t seem to name. Then in a moment, everything shifted. George’s hand was atop Dream’s, and they were sitting unbearably close.

Dream felt like he had to speak, had to say something to try and ease the tension between them.

“I don’t remember my name,” he said softly. “Before this one, I mean. The one they assigned me when I became… one of them.”

George seemed to take a moment to let this sink in. “Clay. Your name was Clay.”

_ Clay.  _ He liked how it sounded.

“What do you want me to call you?” George asked after a minute. “Dream or Clay?”

“I… don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t ever remember… going by my old name. All I know is being called Dream.”

“I liked the new name the moment I was first told to only refer to you by it,” George said softly. “It sounds… Kind of hopeful? Since dream is another word for a goal, sometimes, or what you want most.”

“That’s a nice way of looking at it,” Dream said, feeling like he was going to melt under George’s gaze. “What do you want most?”

At that, George leaned in, pressing his lips to Dream’s for a moment. When he pulled back, he said one, single word.

“You.”

*******

The port at Nebulous was alive with people, with former Futures and Metals as far as Dream could see. The planet was alive with technology in a different way to earth; Dream could feel it woven into the planet’s very core, thrumming with data and energy. In a way, stepping onto Nebulous felt like coming home.

Upon their arrival, they were assigned two houses; one for Dream and George, and another for Sapnap and Bad. They were right next to each other, and their houses were of a decent size, and all of their neighbours smiled warmly and greeted them with such genuine happiness that Dream was almost overwhelmed.

He busied himself for the next couple of hours helping with the house setup. George’s tiny amount of things didn’t take long to find places for, and while George began setting up the tech in the house, Dream set up their bedroom. They’d been given a house with two bedrooms, but the two already knew the second one was unneeded.

Finally, Dream collapsed onto the couch next to George, who promptly leaned against him. Looking at the tech screen on the wall, Dream could see an unfamiliar game that George was currently playing, made of all blocks and so many colours it made his head spin.

“An old world game?”

“It’s Minecraft!”

Dream smiled. “The game you told me about; the one with the blocks, right?”

George turned to Dream, smiling so wide it looked like it hurt. “You remembered?”

“Of course I did,” Dream replied fondly. “How could I forget, when my favourite person in the entire universe told me about it?”

George leaned in, kissing Dream so hard he was sure he’d died then and there. George pulled back, cupping Dream’s face with a hand, smiling like an idiot.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, you nerd.


End file.
